communicating network

7/29/2019 Communicating Network

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© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco PublicITE I Chapter 6 1

Communicating Over the Network

Network Fundamentals –

Chapter 2



© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco PublicITE 1 Chapter 6 2

Objectives

Describe the structure of a network, including thedevices and media that are necessary for successfulcommunications.

Explain the function of protocols in network

communications. Explain the advantages of using a layered model to

describe network functionality.

Describe the role of each layer in two recognized

network models: The TCP/IP model and the OSImodel.

Describe the importance of addressing and namingschemes in network communications.




The Elements of Communication

Communication begins with a message, or

information, that must be sent from oneindividual or device to another.

All of these methods have three elements incommon.

–The first of these elements is the message

source, or sender. Message sources are people,or electronic devices, that need to send amessage to other individuals or devices.

–The second element of communication is thedestination, or receiver , of the message. Thedestination receives the message and interprets

it.

– A third element, called a channel, consists of themedia that provides the pathway over which themessage can travel from source to destination.




Communicating the Messages

In theory, a single communication, such as a an

e-mail message, could be sent across anetwork from a source to a destination as onemassive continuous stream of bits.

–If messages were actually transmitted in thismanner, it would mean that no other device wouldbe able to send or receive messages while thisdata transfer was in progress.

A better approach is to divide the data intosmaller, more manageable pieces to send over the network.

–This division of the data stream into smaller pieces is called segmentation.





Segmenting messages has two primary

benefits. –First, by sending smaller individual pieces fromsource to destination, many differentconversations can be interleaved on the network.

•Multiplexing are a Process where multiple digitaldata streams are combined into one signal

•The process used to interleave the pieces of separate conversations together on the network iscalled multiplexing.

–Second, segmentation can increase thereliability of network communications.

•

The separate pieces of each message need nottravel the same pathway across the network fromsource to destination.

•If part of the message fails to make it to thedestination, only the missing parts need to beretransmitted.





The downside to using segmentation and

multiplexing to transmit messages across a networkis the level of complexity that is added to theprocess.

–Imagine if you had to send a 100-page letter, but eachenvelope would only hold one page.

–The process of addressing, labeling, sending,

receiving, and opening the entire hundred envelopeswould be time-consuming for both the sender and therecipient.

In network communications, each segment of themessage must go through a similar process toensure that it gets to the correct destination and can

be reassembled into the content of the originalmessage.

–Various types of devices throughout the networkparticipate in ensuring that the pieces of the messagearrive reliably at their destination.


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/communicating-network 7/37© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco PublicITE 1 Chapter 6 7

Components of the Network

Devices and media are the physical elements

or hardware of the network. –Hardware is often the visible components of thenetwork platform such as a laptop, a PC, aswitch, or the cabling used to connect thedevices.

–Occasionally, some components may not be so

visible. In the case of wireless media, messagesare transmitted through the air using invisibleradio frequency or infrared waves.

Services and processes are thecommunication programs, called software, thatrun on the networked devices.

–Services include many of the common networkapplications people use every day, like e-mailhosting services and web hosting services.

–Processes provide the functionality that directsand moves the messages through the network.



End Devices and their Role on the Network The network devices that people are most familiar

with are called end devices.

–These devices form the interface between the humannetwork and the underlying communication network.

Some examples of end devices are:

–Computers (work stations, laptops, file servers, webservers)

–

Network printers –VoIP phones

–Security cameras

–Mobile handheld devices (such as wireless barcodescanners, PDAs)

End devices are referred to as hosts.

– A host device is either the source or destination.

– A host can act as a client, a server, or both.

•Servers are hosts that have software installed that enablesthem to provide information and services, like e-mail or webpages, to other hosts on the network.

•Clients are hosts that have software installed that enablesthem to request and display the information obtained from

the server.



Intermediary Devices and their Role on the Network

A device that connects directly to end user devices or provides end user routing to other networks.

In addition to the end devices that people are familiar with,networks rely on intermediary devices to provideconnectivity and to work behind the scenes to ensure thatdata flows across the network.

Examples of intermediary network devices are:

–Network Access Devices (Hubs, switches, and wireless access

points)

–Internetworking Devices (routers)

–Communication Servers and Modems

–Security Devices (firewalls)

The management of data as it flows through the network is

also a role of the intermediary devices. –These devices use the destination host address, in conjunctionwith information about the network interconnections, todetermine the path that messages should take.



Intermediary Devices and their Role on the Network

Processes running on the intermediary network

devices perform these functions: –Regenerate and retransmit data signals

–Maintain information about what pathways existthrough the network and internetwork

–Notify other devices of errors and communicationfailures

–Direct data along alternate pathways when there is alink failure

–Classify and direct messages according to QoSpriorities

–Permit or deny the flow of data, based on securitysettings



Network Media Communication across a network is carried on a medium.

–The medium provides the channel over which the messagetravels from source to destination.

These media are:

–Metallic wires within cables

–Glass or plastic fibers (fiber optic cable)

–Wireless transmission

The signal encoding that must occur for the message to betransmitted is different for each media type.

–On metallic wires, the data is encoded into electrical impulsesthat match specific patterns.

–Fiber optic transmissions rely on pulses of light, within either infrared or visible light ranges.

–In wireless transmission, patterns of electromagnetic wavesdepict the various bit values.

Different types of network media have different features andbenefits.

–The distance the media can successfully carry a signal.

–The environment in which the media is to be installed.

–The amount of data and the speed at which it must betransmitted.

–

The cost of the media and installation



Local Area Networks

Networks infrastructures can vary

greatly in terms of: –The size of the area covered

–The number of users connected

–The number and types of services available

A Local Area Network (LAN). – An individual network usually spans asingle geographical area, providing servicesand applications to people within a commonorganizational structure, such as a singlebusiness, campus or region.

– A LAN is usually administered by a singleorganization.

–The administrative control that governs thesecurity and access control policies areenforced on the network level.



Wide Area Networks

When a company or organization has locations

that are separated by large geographicaldistances, it may be necessary to use atelecommunications service provider (TSP) tointerconnect the LANs at the different locations.

–These networks that connect LANs ingeographically separated locations are referred toas Wide Area Networks (WANs).

–WANs use specifically designed networkdevices to make the interconnections betweenLANs.

LANs and WANs are very useful to individualorganizations. They connect the users withinthe organization. They allow many forms of communication including exchange e-mails,corporate training, and other resource sharing.



The Internet – A Network of Networks Although there are benefits to using a LAN or WAN, most of

us need to communicate with a resource on another network, outside of our local organization.

Examples of this type of communication include:

–Sending an e-mail to a friend in another country

– Accessing news or products on a website

–Getting a file from a neighbor's computer

–Instant messaging with a relative in another city

–Following a favorite sporting team's performance on a cellphone

Internetwork

–The most well-known and widely used publicly-accessibleinternetwork is the Internet.

–The Internet is created by the interconnection of networks

belonging to Internet Service Providers (ISPs). These ISPnetworks connect to each other to provide access for millions of users all over the world.

Intranet

–The term intranet is often used to refer to a private connectionof LANs and WANs that belongs to an organization, and is

designed to be accessible only by the organization's members,employees, or others with authorization.



Network Representations

When conveying complex information such as the

network connectivity and operation of a largeinternetwork, it is helpful to use visualrepresentations and graphics.

–Throughout this course and labs, you will learn bothhow these devices operate and how to perform basicconfiguration tasks on these devices.

Important terms to remember are: –Network Interface Card - A NIC, or LAN adapter,provides the physical connection to the network at thePC or other host device. The media connecting the PCto the networking device plugs directly into the NIC.

–Physical Port - A connector or outlet on a networking

device where the media is connected to a host or other networking device.

–Interface - Specialized ports on an internetworkingdevice that connect to individual networks. Becauserouters are used to interconnect networks, the ports ona router are referred to network interfaces.



Rules that Govern Communications

All communication, whether face-to-face or over a

network, is governed by predetermined rules called protocols.

–These protocols are specific to the characteristics of the conversation.

–These protocols are implemented in software andhardware that is loaded on each host and network

device. One of the best ways to visualize how all of the

protocols interact on a particular host is to view it asa stack.

–The protocols are viewed as a layered hierarchy,

–

Each higher level service depending on thefunctionality defined by the protocols shown in the lower levels.

–The lower layers of the stack are concerned withmoving data over the network and providing services tothe upper layers, which are focused on the content of the message being sent and the user interface.



Network Protocols

For devices to successfully

communicate, a networkprotocol suite must describeprecise requirements andinteractions.

Networking protocol suitesdescribe processes such as:

–The format or structure of the message

–The method by whichnetworking devices shareinformation about pathwayswith other networks

–How and when error andsystem messages arepassed between devices

–The setup andtermination of data transfer sessions



Protocol Suites and Industry Standards

Often, many of the protocols that comprise a protocol

suite reference other widely utilized protocols or industry standards.

– A standard is a process or protocol that has beenendorsed by the networking industry and ratified by astandards organization, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) or theInternet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

The use of standards in developing andimplementing protocols ensures that products fromdifferent manufacturers can work together for efficient communications.

–If a protocol is not rigidly observed by a particular

manufacturer, their equipment or software may not beable to successfully communicate with products madeby other manufacturers.



The Interaction of Protocols

An example of the use of a protocol suite in

communications is the interaction between a web server and a web browser.

Application Protocol:

–Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a common protocolthat governs the way that a web server and a web clientinteract.

•HTTP defines the content and formatting of the requests andresponses exchanged between the client and server.

Transport Protocol:

–Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is the transportprotocol that manages the individual conversations betweenweb servers and web clients.

•TCP divides the HTTP messages into smaller pieces, calledsegments, to be sent to the destination client.

•It is also controlling the rate at which messages are exchanged.



The Interaction of Protocols

Internetwork Protocol:

–The most common internetwork protocol is Internet Protocol

(IP).

•IP is responsible for taking the segments, encapsulating them intopackets, assigning the addresses, and selecting the best path tothe destination host.

Network Access Protocols:

–Network access protocols describe two primary functions,data link management and the physical transmission of dataon the media.

•Data-link management protocols take the packets from IP andformat them to be transmitted over the media.

•The standards and protocols for the physical media govern howthe signals are sent over the media and how they are interpreted by

the receiving clients.

•Transceivers on the network interface cards implement theappropriate standards for the media that is being used.



Technology Independent Protocols

Networking protocols describe the functions that

occur during network communications. –In the face-to-face conversation example, a protocolfor communicating might state that in order to signalthat the conversation is complete, the sender mustremain silent for two full seconds.

–However, this protocol does not specify how thesender is to remain silent for the two seconds.

Protocols generally do not describe how toaccomplish a particular function.

–Looking at the web server example, HTTP does notspecify

•what programming language is used to create the browser,

•which web server software should be used to serve theweb pages,

•what operating system the software runs on, or thehardware requirements necessary to display the browser.

–This means that a computer - and other devices - canaccess a web page stored on any type of web server that uses any form of operating system from anywhereon the Internet.



The Benefit of Using Layered Model

To visualize the interaction between various

protocols, it is common to use a layered model. – A layered model depicts the operation of the protocolsoccurring within each layer, as well as the interactionwith the layers above and below it.

Using a layered model:

– Assists in protocol design, because protocols that

operate at a specific layer have defined information thatthey act upon and a defined interface to the layersabove and below.

–Fosters competition because products from differentvendors can work together.

–Prevents technology or capability changes in one layer

from affecting other layers above and below. –Provides a common language to describe networkingfunctions and capabilities.



Protocol and Reference Models

There are two basic types of networking models:

protocol models and reference models. – A protocol model: provides a model that closelymatches the structure of a particular protocol suite.

•The hierarchical set of related protocols in a suite typicallyrepresents all the functionality required to interface thehuman network with the data network.

•The TCP/IP model is a protocol model because it

describes the functions that occur at each layer of protocolswithin the TCP/IP suite.

– A reference model: provides a common reference for maintaining consistency within all types of networkprotocols and services.

• A reference model is not intended to be an implementationspecification or to provide a sufficient level of detail todefine precisely the services of the network architecture.

•The primary purpose of a reference model is to aid inclearer understanding of the functions and processinvolved.

•The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model is themost widely known internetwork reference model. It is usedfor data network design, operation specifications, and

troubleshooting.



The TCP/IP Model The Internet model is commonly referred to as the TCP/IP

model.

–The first layered protocol model for internetworkcommunications was created in the early 1970s and is referredto as the Internet model.

–It defines four categories of functions that must occur for communications to be successful.

–TCP/IP model is an open standard.

The definitions of the standard and the TCP/IP protocolsare discussed in a public forum and defined in a publicly-available set of documents. These documents are calledRequests for Comments (RFCs).

–They contain both the formal specification of datacommunications protocols and resources that describe the useof the protocols.

–The RFCs also contain technical and organizationaldocuments about the Internet, including the technicalspecifications and policy documents produced by the InternetEngineering Task Force (IETF).




The Communication Process

The TCP/IP model describes the functionality of the

protocols that make up the TCP/IP protocol suite. A complete communication process includes these

steps:

–1. Creation of data at the application layer of theoriginating source end device

–2. Segmentation and encapsulation of data as it

passes down the protocol stack in the source enddevice

–3. Generation of the data onto the media at thenetwork access layer of the stack

–4. Transportation of the data through the internetwork,which consists of media and any intermediary devices

–5. Reception of the data at the network access layer of the destination end device

–6. Decapsulation and reassembly of the data as itpasses up the stack in the destination device

–7. Passing this data to the destination application atthe Application layer of the destination end device




Protocol Data Units and Encapsulation The encapsulation process.

–

As application data is passed down the protocolstack on its way to be transmitted across thenetwork media, various protocols add informationto it at each level.

–The form that a piece of data takes at any layer is called a Protocol Data Unit (PDU).

–During encapsulation, each succeeding layer

encapsulates the PDU that it receives from thelayer above in accordance with the protocol beingused.

At each stage of the process, a PDU has adifferent name to reflect its new appearance.

–Data - The general term for the PDU used at the Application layer

–Segment - Transport Layer PDU

–Packet - Internetwork Layer PDU

–Frame - Network Access Layer PDU

–Bits - A PDU used when physically transmittingdata over the medium




The Sending and Receiving process When sending messages on a network, the protocol stack

on a host operates from top to bottom.

In the web server example:

–The Application layer : HTTP begins the process bydelivering the HTML web page data to the Transport layer.

–The Transport layer : The application data is broken into TCPsegments.

•Each TCP segment is given a label, called a header, containinginformation about which process running on the destination

computer should receive the message.•The Transport layer: encapsulates the web page HTML datawithin the segment and sends it to the Internet layer,

–The Internet layer : Here the entire TCP segment is encapsulatedwithin an IP packet, which adds another label, called the IP header.

•The IP header contains source and destination IP addresses.

–Next, the Network Access layer: Ethernet protocol where itis encapsulated within a frame header and trailer .

•Frame header contains source and destination physical address.

•The trailer contains error checking information.

•Finally the bits are encoded onto the Ethernet media by theserver NIC.




The Sending and Receiving process

This process is reversed

at the receiving host.

The data is decapsulatedas it moves up the stacktoward the end user

application.




The OSI Model Initially the OSI model was designed by the

International Organization for Standardization(ISO) to provide a framework on which to build asuite of open systems protocols.

–The vision was that this set of protocols would beused to develop an international network that wouldnot be dependent on proprietary systems.

Unfortunately, the speed at which the TCP/IP

based Internet was adopted, and the rate at whichit expanded, caused the OSI Protocol Suitedevelopment and acceptance to lag behind.

– As a reference model, the OSI model provides anextensive list of functions and services that can occur at each layer.

–It also describes the interaction of each layer withthe layers directly above and below it.

Although the content of this course will bestructured around the OSI Model

the focus of discussion will be the protocolsidentified in the TCP/IP protocol stack.




Comparing the OSI and TCP/IP Model In the OSI model, the Network Access layer and the

Application layer of the TCP/IP model are further divided to describe discreet functions that need to occur at these layers.

The key parallels between the two network modelsoccur at the OSI model Layers 3 and 4.

–The Internet Protocol (IP) is the TCP/IP suite protocol thatincludes the functionality described at Layer 3.

–Layer 4, the functions include acknowledgement, error recovery, and sequencing.

At the Network Access Layer,

–the TCP/IP protocol suite does not specify whichprotocols to use when transmitting over a physical medium;it only describes the handoff from the Internet Layer to the

physical network protocols.

The TCP/IP Application layer

–The OSI model Layers 5, 6 and 7 are used as referencesfor application software developers and vendors to produceproducts that need to access networks for communications.




Addressing in the Network

The OSI model describes the processes of encoding, formatting,

segmenting, and encapsulating data for transmission over thenetwork.

–It is critical for each piece of data to contain enough identifyinginformation to get it to the correct destination.

–There are various types of addresses that must be included tosuccessfully deliver the data from a source application running on onehost to the correct destination application running on another.

Using the OSI model as a guide, we can see the different addressesand identifiers that are necessary at each layer.




Getting the Data to the End Device

During the process of encapsulation, addressidentifiers are added to the data as it travels downthe protocol stack on the source host.

The first identifier, the host physical address, iscontained in the header of the Layer 2 PDU, called aframe.

–Layer 2 is concerned with the delivery of

messages on a single local network.

–The Layer 2 address is unique on the local networkand represents the address of the end device on thephysical media.

–In a LAN using Ethernet, this address is called theMedia Access Control (MAC) address.

–Once a frame is successfully received by thedestination host, the Layer 2 address information isremoved as the data is decapsulated and moved up theprotocol stack to Layer 3.




Getting the Data Through the Internetwork

Layer 3 protocols are primarily designed to move datafrom one local network to another local network withinan internetwork.

–Whereas Layer 2 addresses are only used tocommunicate between devices on a single local network,

–Layer 3 addresses must include identifiers that enableintermediary network devices to locate hosts on differentnetworks.

In the TCP/IP protocol suite, every IP host addresscontains information about the network where the hostis located.

–Routers use the network identifier portion of this addressto determine which path to use to reach the destination

host. –Once the path is determined, the router encapsulatesthe packet in a new frame and sends it on its way towardthe destination end device.

–When the frame reaches its final destination, the frameand packet headers are removed and the data moved up

to Layer 4.




Getting the Data To the Right Application

At Layer 4, information contained in the PDU header identify the specific process or service running on thedestination host device that will act on the data beingdelivered.

–Hosts, whether they are clients or servers, can runmultiple network applications simultaneously.

–People using PCs often have an e-mail client running at

the same time as a web browser, an instant messagingprogram, some streaming media, and perhaps even agame.

– All these separately running programs are examples of individual processes.

Each application or service is represented at Layer 4 by

a port number. – A unique dialogue between devices is identified with apair of Layer 4 source and destination port numbers thatare representative of the two communicating applications.

–When the data is received at the host, the port number isexamined to determine which application or process is the

correct destination for the data.




Putting it all together

OSI

Layer #

ISO Layer

Name

TCP/IP

#

TCP/IP layer

Name

Encapsulatio

n

Units

Devices or

ComponentsTCP/IP Protocols Keywords/Description

7

Application

4 Application

data PC

FTP, HTTP,

POP3, IMAP,

telnet, SMTP,

DNS, TFTP Network services for application

processes, such as file, print,

messaging, database services

6

Presentation

data

Standard interface to data for the

application layer. MIME encoding, data

encryption, conversion, formatting,

compression

5

Session DataInterhost communication. Establishes,manages and terminates connection

between applications

4

Transport

3

Transport

segments

TCP, UDP

End-to-end connections and reliability.

Segmentation/desegmentation of data

in proper sequence. Flow control

3

Network

2

Internet packets

router

IP

Logical addressing and path

determination. Routing. Reporting

delivery errors

2

Data Link1

Network

Access frames

bridge, switch,

NIC

Physical addressing and access to

media. Two sublayers: Logical Link

Control (LLC) and Media Access

Control (MAC)

1

Physical bits repeater, hub,

tranciever

Binary transmission signals and

encoding. Layout of pins, voltages,

cable specifications, modulation




Warriors of the Net An entertaining resource to help you visualize networking

concepts is the animated movie "Warriors of the Net".

Before viewing the video, there are a few things to consider.

–First, think about when in the video you are on the LAN, onWAN, on intranet, on Internet; and what are end devices versusintermediate devices.

–Second, some terms are mentioned in the video which may notbe familiar. The types of packets mentioned refers to the type of

upper level data (TCP, UDP, ICMP Ping, PING of death) that isencapsulated in the IP Packets.

–Third, while port numbers 21, 23, 25, 53, and 80 are referred toexplicitly in the video, IP addresses are referred to only implicitly

–Finally, there is one error in the video. About 5 minutes in, thestatement is made "What happens when Mr. IP doesn't receivean acknowledgement, he simply sends a replacement packet."

As you will find out in later chapters, this is not a function of theLayer 3 Internet Protocol, but rather a function of the TransportLayer TCP Protocol.

By the end of this course you will have a much better understanding of the breadth and depth of the conceptsdepicted in the video. We hope you enjoy it.

http://www.warriorsofthe.net



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communicating network

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